


A Sudden Change

by Sheneya



Series: Who's Adopting Barry Allen? [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-29
Packaged: 2018-04-23 23:13:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4895986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheneya/pseuds/Sheneya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe never lied when he said that the decision to adopt Barry was sometimes difficult.</p><p>Due to a sudden change, Joe finds himself unable to adopt Barry like he wants to, and instead tries his best to keep an eye on the young boy until he's adopted by someone else.</p><p>This unconnected series of one shots will show Barry getting adopted, or in some cases not adopted by different people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sudden Change

**Author's Note:**

> These Oneshots are open for other authors to build on, should they wish to do so, however please let me know in the comments if you decide to expand in a particular universe.

Joe West groaned as he felt his side being prodded by a familiar finger. It took a few shifts of his body and the sharp sound of his back suddenly clicking back into position that he remembered where he was, sitting next the hospital bed his daughter was in after a rather silly attempt to show off on her part had earned her an arm with three broken bones and a dislocated shoulder, a fractured leg and a hairline crack on her spine . Sitting up quickly, his first moved to check Iris over, even as he registered her earnest attempts to engage the silent young boy in the bed opposite hers. It was then he realized that at some point during his panic to get her to the hospital, he had unconsciously reacted to the one request she'd made between screams of pain, to put her in the same room Barry Allen was currently being treated for trauma and shock in after having witnessed the horrible attack on his mother, well, not in so many words, but he got the idea.

It surprised him how attached Iris had grown to Barry, and he'd even been looking at putting in the paperwork to apply for a chance to adopt the terrorized child, even though he still had worries about some things. Rubbing his hands over his eyes, Joe was struck by one of the major reasons he'd been doubting his ability to properly look after Barry. He'd run the calculations through his head hundreds of times, but no matter how he sliced it, a Cops salary was not extravagant. Barry was a good, sweet kid, and he deserved the best help he could get after what he'd been through, but therapy wasn't cheap, and now, with Iris's injuries, neither were hospital bills.

Sadly, he looked at the yet to be filled adoption request, He didn't doubt that given time, he could learn to love Barry like a son, he was close enough already, but right now, Iris's injuries were more important, and even if the boy didn't find a home right away, the state place he would go to had enough funding to provide a certain amount of therapy.

Barry looked up as Uncle Joe sat down next to him. he hadn't been able to read the piece of paper the man had been holding, but it didn't seem to matter as he'd scrunched it up to be thrown away anyway.

"Listen Barry, the social worker will be around to pick you up in a few hours." He watched as Joe reached inside his front pocket to pull out a card, on the front was the Central City Police Departments stamp, along with a number to reach Joe's Desk directly, turning it over, Joe began scribbling another number on the back of it. "I want you to know that I will be looking out for you as best I can, you know what the number on the front is... on the back are my personal contact details, mobile and home phones, you can call and talk to me or Iris whenever you feel like it." For a few seconds the older man paused. " As long as it's not too far past Iris's bedtime, then you'll just be talking to me. I don't doubt Iris will be wanting to set up visits as well, so we'll see how we go..OK."

Barry stared at the card Joe was holding out to him for a moment, before hesitantly reaching out to take it. Joe noticed that the boys shoulders seemed to relax when he realized the other man wasn't going to pull it away from him.

However he still felt the slight heaviness of regret that he wasn't able to do better by the small boy, but he knew it was better this way, there was no way he'd be able to give him the care and attention he needed in the long run.


End file.
